The Cubs don’t exactly have an offense in need of a rescue mission. They lead baseball in wRC+, home runs and total runs, and they’ve been above .500 in both one-run games and extra-inning games. That’s a pretty loud statement from a lineup that has spent the season doing damage in a hurry.
But winter could still give Jed Hoyer a chance to add something this group doesn’t always have: another way to score.
With Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki potentially headed for free agency, the Cubs may need to replace real production in the outfield. Suzuki, especially, takes a chunk of slug with him if he walks.
Still, the bigger point here is not just about swapping one power bat for another. It’s about building in a different kind of offense, one that doesn’t live and die with the home run.
That matters because even strong power-based teams can run into stretches where the ball isn’t leaving the yard. The Cubs have seen those lulls before.
A lineup built around extra-base damage can be dangerous, but it can also go quiet when the conditions aren’t right or the power isn’t there for a few nights. Adding a player or two who can help manufacture runs would give the team another lane to work with.
Pete Crow-Armstrong sits at the center of all this. He’s having the best offensive season in the 150-year history of the Cubs, and the source of the club’s engine is obvious.
He’s also, as described here, the soon-to-be National League MVP. But that kind of production is not something anyone should assume will repeat year after year.
There’s also a blueprint out there. Teams like the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays are near the bottom of the league in runs scored via the home run, yet they still make life miserable for opponents with a disciplined, pesky style. That kind of approach can matter in extra innings and in games at Wrigley when the conditions don’t favor power.
Of course, none of this matters much if the pitching side of the roster doesn’t get addressed. If Hoyer comes up short there, any tweaks around the edges of the position-player group won’t move the needle enough. And the Cubs aren’t going to abandon defense while shopping for new corner outfielders.
Still, if the additions can help in small ways - baserunning, situational hitting, and just plain manufacturing offense - that’s a layer this lineup could use.
In Other News...
Ian Happs Wrigley Gesture Felt Bigger Than A Normal Thank You
After a recent game at Wrigley Field, Ian Happ gave the crowd one of those small but memorable gestures that tends to stick around longer than the final score. The Cubs outfielder tossed a ball into the stands with a thank-you message attached, along with $300 for the fans, a fitting touch from a player who has spent his entire big-league career in Chicago since the club drafted him in 2015.
It also landed at a moment when the backdrop around Happ feels a little heavier than usual. The Cubs have already wrapped up a postseason spot, but there is no guarantee they will get another home game, and Happ is scheduled to reach free agency after the 2026 season. So a simple note and a wad of cash to the crowd carried a little extra weight, the kind of gesture that makes you wonder whether Wrigley might be seeing one of its most familiar players in a regular-season setting for the last time. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Clinched October But Their Biggest Wild Card Fight Remains
The Cubs have already checked the most important box, locking up a postseason berth for the second straight year with a 2-1 win over the Marlins, but the real work is still ahead. After a season in which midseason moves helped steady a pitching staff that had given them trouble, Chicago enters October with a clearer path than it had a few weeks ago and a chance to make the Wild Card round more favorable.
Chicago still finds itself in a tight battle for the top Wild Card spot, and that matters as much for positioning as for momentum. The Cubs own tiebreakers over both the Padres and Phillies, a useful edge if the race stays crowded, and it leaves them with a small but meaningful cushion as they try to turn a playoff ticket into a more manageable opening series. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Still Have A Real Shot To Shape Their October Path
With a week left in the regular season, the Cubs are still very much in position to influence not just whether they get into October, but how the bracket may break once they do. San Diego sits atop the National League wild-card race by a game, with Chicago and Philadelphia tied just behind, and the Cubs have already done important work for themselves by owning the head-to-head tiebreakers over both clubs.
Chicagos path is not just about chasing the Padres down, it is about what happens in the standings around them, because MLBs tiebreaking rules could swing the order and the matchups that follow. Philadelphia has the edge over San Diego but not over Chicago, which adds another layer to a race that still has room to shift in ways the Cubs can use to their advantage. [Read more 🡒]